2019 Off-season

[ChrisPozz]

Latest Free Agency Haul Shows Players Willing to Bet on Themselves to Join 49ers

https://www.49erswebzone.com/commentary/2047-latest-free-agency-shows-playing-willing-themselves-49ers/

All of this has pointed to how the 49ers have played it smart on their end and with such a clear track record of how they operate,

As I have pointed out, and as others who follow this stuff closely can see easier now I'm sure, the gap and the advantage the 49ers and some other teams who were the first ones to start doing these kinds of things in the negotiation and cap structuring process had is not as big as it once was, as most other teams are adopting similar salary cap structures.

Therefore, it's putting the emphasis back on to really set yourself up well with the talent evaluation and developmental side in order to separate yourself from the pack now. That was always a significant portion of the entire picture obviously but it's not quite the separator in organizational value as it once was. Best to continue to be good at it and know what you're doing but many of those practices are commonplace now is all.

[ChrisPozz]

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And Buckner turned 25 two days ago.

[ChrisPozz]

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Dustin Little plays a big part of Super Bowl week

https://www.argusleader.com/story/sports/nfl/2016/02/06/dustin-little-plays-big-part-super-bowl-week/79841142/

Another young hire for their sports medicine field as I pointed out when they hired Ben Peterson and Shea Thompson. The direction many teams are going in. Interesting group of folks.

[ChrisPozz]

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[Bingo_AlphaMan]

Dante Pettis got hops:

http://bleacherreport.com/post/san-francisco-49ers/2bd7170b-64ed-4d62-a810-f4dffd40259d

[CrimsonCrew]

Good Morning Football discussing Bosa vs. Williams. This part stood out:

Burleson added, "When you look at defensive tackles and what they bring to the table, and how they solidify defenses, and help stuff runs, what running backs do they have to face in the NFC West? Seattle? Running back by committee, including Russell Wilson; you've got to stop him. You've got to stop the run. When it comes to the Rams, Todd Gurley. Arizona? David Johnson.

"So I say go right ahead and get Quinnen Williams because right away, you're going to help stop some of these running backs in the NFC West, which are so good."

I'm not at all saying that Wiliams shouldn't be the pick. But this is just the wrong approach to today's NFL. First, defense needs to be pass-first. Stopping the run is gravy. Second, why would you ever make a pick in the top-5 that is predicated upon your division opponents, and particularly predicated upon their RBs? That's only the position with the shortest shelf life in the NFL. Gurley may never be a bell-cow again with the arthritis. David Johnson hasn't shown that he's the same player following the injury, and he's 27. There's a good chance he'll be out of the league before that second overall pick is off his rookie contract.

I just wonder what these guys are thinking sometimes.

[NinerSickness]

Good Morning Football discussing Bosa vs. Williams. This part stood out:

Burleson added, "When you look at defensive tackles and what they bring to the table, and how they solidify defenses, and help stuff runs, what running backs do they have to face in the NFC West? Seattle? Running back by committee, including Russell Wilson; you've got to stop him. You've got to stop the run. When it comes to the Rams, Todd Gurley. Arizona? David Johnson.

"So I say go right ahead and get Quinnen Williams because right away, you're going to help stop some of these running backs in the NFC West, which are so good."

I'm not at all saying that Wiliams shouldn't be the pick. But this is just the wrong approach to today's NFL. First, defense needs to be pass-first. Stopping the run is gravy. Second, why would you ever make a pick in the top-5 that is predicated upon your division opponents, and particularly predicated upon their RBs? That's only the position with the shortest shelf life in the NFL. Gurley may never be a bell-cow again with the arthritis. David Johnson hasn't shown that he's the same player following the injury, and he's 27. There's a good chance he'll be out of the league before that second overall pick is off his rookie contract.

I just wonder what these guys are thinking sometimes.

Agree 100%. Get the pass rush first, and you can afford to keep your CBs in man coverage more often, which allows safeties to stay closer to the box, which will help free up the LBs to play the run more readily. One helps out the other, but it has to start with rushing the passer.

That said, I think Q will give QBs more issues than Bosa would. JMHO.

[CrimsonCrew]

Good Morning Football discussing Bosa vs. Williams. This part stood out:

Burleson added, "When you look at defensive tackles and what they bring to the table, and how they solidify defenses, and help stuff runs, what running backs do they have to face in the NFC West? Seattle? Running back by committee, including Russell Wilson; you've got to stop him. You've got to stop the run. When it comes to the Rams, Todd Gurley. Arizona? David Johnson.

"So I say go right ahead and get Quinnen Williams because right away, you're going to help stop some of these running backs in the NFC West, which are so good."

I'm not at all saying that Wiliams shouldn't be the pick. But this is just the wrong approach to today's NFL. First, defense needs to be pass-first. Stopping the run is gravy. Second, why would you ever make a pick in the top-5 that is predicated upon your division opponents, and particularly predicated upon their RBs? That's only the position with the shortest shelf life in the NFL. Gurley may never be a bell-cow again with the arthritis. David Johnson hasn't shown that he's the same player following the injury, and he's 27. There's a good chance he'll be out of the league before that second overall pick is off his rookie contract.

I just wonder what these guys are thinking sometimes.

Agree 100%. Get the pass rush first, and you can afford to keep your CBs in man coverage more often, which allows safeties to stay closer to the box, which will help free up the LBs to play the run more readily. One helps out the other, but it has to start with rushing the passer.

That said, I think Q will give QBs more issues than Bosa would. JMHO.

Yeah, Q is totally justifiable because he excels at creating pressure. That's why he's a NT that might go first or second overall. It's just odd to see a guy who does this for a living be like, "Well, see, you want that guy over this other one because he can stop the run."

I'm not as sold as some of you guys on Q being the bigger impact player in the passing game than Bosa, but we'll see. And with Ford in the fold, that's a completely reasonable move.

[Jikkle]

Good Morning Football discussing Bosa vs. Williams. This part stood out:

Burleson added, "When you look at defensive tackles and what they bring to the table, and how they solidify defenses, and help stuff runs, what running backs do they have to face in the NFC West? Seattle? Running back by committee, including Russell Wilson; you've got to stop him. You've got to stop the run. When it comes to the Rams, Todd Gurley. Arizona? David Johnson.

"So I say go right ahead and get Quinnen Williams because right away, you're going to help stop some of these running backs in the NFC West, which are so good."

I'm not at all saying that Wiliams shouldn't be the pick. But this is just the wrong approach to today's NFL. First, defense needs to be pass-first. Stopping the run is gravy. Second, why would you ever make a pick in the top-5 that is predicated upon your division opponents, and particularly predicated upon their RBs? That's only the position with the shortest shelf life in the NFL. Gurley may never be a bell-cow again with the arthritis. David Johnson hasn't shown that he's the same player following the injury, and he's 27. There's a good chance he'll be out of the league before that second overall pick is off his rookie contract.

I just wonder what these guys are thinking sometimes.

I agree but I will say I don't think their logic is completely offbase.

The NFC West is easily the run-heaviest division now in the league and since you play your division 6 times every year you're going to have to be built to do well against them if you expect to be in the playoffs.

With that said if you want to be successful in the playoffs you're more likely to run into offenses that pass the ball so you have to be able to stop that as well.

You don't want to be the Jeff Fisher Rams that were built to beat the Seahawks and Harbaugh era 49ers but could do little else against the rest of the league.

[CrimsonCrew]

Good Morning Football discussing Bosa vs. Williams. This part stood out:

Burleson added, "When you look at defensive tackles and what they bring to the table, and how they solidify defenses, and help stuff runs, what running backs do they have to face in the NFC West? Seattle? Running back by committee, including Russell Wilson; you've got to stop him. You've got to stop the run. When it comes to the Rams, Todd Gurley. Arizona? David Johnson.

"So I say go right ahead and get Quinnen Williams because right away, you're going to help stop some of these running backs in the NFC West, which are so good."

I'm not at all saying that Wiliams shouldn't be the pick. But this is just the wrong approach to today's NFL. First, defense needs to be pass-first. Stopping the run is gravy. Second, why would you ever make a pick in the top-5 that is predicated upon your division opponents, and particularly predicated upon their RBs? That's only the position with the shortest shelf life in the NFL. Gurley may never be a bell-cow again with the arthritis. David Johnson hasn't shown that he's the same player following the injury, and he's 27. There's a good chance he'll be out of the league before that second overall pick is off his rookie contract.

I just wonder what these guys are thinking sometimes.

I agree but I will say I don't think their logic is completely offbase.

The NFC West is easily the run-heaviest division now in the league and since you play your division 6 times every year you're going to have to be built to do well against them if you expect to be in the playoffs.

With that said if you want to be successful in the playoffs you're more likely to run into offenses that pass the ball so you have to be able to stop that as well.

You don't want to be the Jeff Fisher Rams that were built to beat the Seahawks and Harbaugh era 49ers but could do little else against the rest of the league.

Sure, you always need to consider your primary competition. But that concern should be secondary (tertiary?) when choosing between prospects at #2. You take the best player, period. And citing specific RBs is just silly given that even the great ones are typically only special for 5-6 years.

[wco81]

Good Morning Football discussing Bosa vs. Williams. This part stood out:

Burleson added, "When you look at defensive tackles and what they bring to the table, and how they solidify defenses, and help stuff runs, what running backs do they have to face in the NFC West? Seattle? Running back by committee, including Russell Wilson; you've got to stop him. You've got to stop the run. When it comes to the Rams, Todd Gurley. Arizona? David Johnson.

"So I say go right ahead and get Quinnen Williams because right away, you're going to help stop some of these running backs in the NFC West, which are so good."

I'm not at all saying that Wiliams shouldn't be the pick. But this is just the wrong approach to today's NFL. First, defense needs to be pass-first. Stopping the run is gravy. Second, why would you ever make a pick in the top-5 that is predicated upon your division opponents, and particularly predicated upon their RBs? That's only the position with the shortest shelf life in the NFL. Gurley may never be a bell-cow again with the arthritis. David Johnson hasn't shown that he's the same player following the injury, and he's 27. There's a good chance he'll be out of the league before that second overall pick is off his rookie contract.

I just wonder what these guys are thinking sometimes.

Agree 100%. Get the pass rush first, and you can afford to keep your CBs in man coverage more often, which allows safeties to stay closer to the box, which will help free up the LBs to play the run more readily. One helps out the other, but it has to start with rushing the passer.

That said, I think Q will give QBs more issues than Bosa would. JMHO.

Wilson causes problems by getting outside the pocket or circling around and eventually running for it.

Can a DT, no matter how athletic, run him down? Maybe if he creates A-gap pressure right away and gets him in the pocket.

Aldon Smith was effective against Wilson when he tried to get outside contain. Always ran him down.

You need outside speed. You can also argue for ILBs who can sprint through the A-gaps and run over RBs. Willis and Bowman were very effective at doing that, in fact they probably didn't rush them enough, though they were great in pass coverage too.


Now if these NFC West RBs are thumpers who run between the tackles, then maybe DT makes more sense but Gurley may not be the same player again with his mysterious injury. And I don't know how often Johnson runs inside vs. bouncing outside. He seems to be more of a factor in the passing game.

If Cards draft Murray, whose speed has been compared to Vick's, then you definitely need edge rushers who can contain and make the midget throw over the trees. Can he make throws to the far sidelines from inside the pocket? I don't know that he has that kind of arm talent.

[NinerSickness]

Wilson causes problems by getting outside the pocket or circling around and eventually running for it.

Can a DT, no matter how athletic, run him down? Maybe if he creates A-gap pressure right away and gets him in the pocket.

Aldon Smith was effective against Wilson when he tried to get outside contain. Always ran him down.

You need outside speed. You can also argue for ILBs who can sprint through the A-gaps and run over RBs. Willis and Bowman were very effective at doing that, in fact they probably didn't rush them enough, though they were great in pass coverage too.

These are good points, but a collapsing pocket from the inside gives the QB less room to step up. There's no solution for that because if you try to avoid the inside rush, you're likely going to step into the path of a DE, even if the DE had to run pretty far around the QB (and he can't necessarily see the DEs, so he won't know where to go). The converse is not necessarily true when the inside pressure isn't there; the QB can still step up into the pocket and throw.

There's an argument for either one. For me, it boils down to who's the better player. I think that's Q. I wouldn't even take Bosa over Bradley Chubb, but Q is the best DT since Aaron Donald.

[Ray_Dogg]

Chubb turned out to be even better than I thought. Loved me some Chubb too.

[NinerSickness]

Loved me some Chubb too.

Watch on YouTube

...Yes, I'm a grown child.

[ChrisPozz]

Jordan Matthews Won't Be Limited to Slot Role with 49ers

https://www.49ers.com/news/jordan-matthews-won-t-be-limited-to-slot-role-with-49ers?sf209739474=1

[ChrisPozz]

49ers kick the tires on former Bills tight end Chris Gragg

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2019/03/22/49ers-kick-the-tires-on-former-bills-tight-end-chris-gragg/

I don't hate them checking on his progress so long as it doesn't really alter how they feel about the 49ers TE position too much if they were to sign him.

Started out at Arkansas as a WR. Dislocated his ankle that forced him to redshirt in 2009. Knee injury hampered him as a senior and he only played in 5 games that year. Was an interesting movable chess piece type TE coming into the NFL that could do a lot of things but nothing really well. He then tore his ACL with the Bills.

Combine percentiles (since '11)

Height - 16th percentile
Weight (244) - 13th percentile
18 reps - 31st percentile
Arm (33 5/8) - 71st percentile
9-inch hands - 4th percentile
4.50 (40) - 96th percentile
1.53 (10) - 89th percentile
37 1/2 in. vertical - 90th percentile
10 feet, 5 inch broad jump - 94th percentile
4.51 shuttle - 21st percentile
7.08 3-cone - 65th percentile

[CrimsonCrew]

49ers kick the tires on former Bills tight end Chris Gragg

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2019/03/22/49ers-kick-the-tires-on-former-bills-tight-end-chris-gragg/

I don't hate them checking on his progress so long as it doesn't really alter how they feel about the 49ers TE position too much if they were to sign him.

Started out at Arkansas as a WR. Dislocated his ankle that forced him to redshirt in 2009. Knee injury hampered him as a senior and he only played in 5 games that year. Was an interesting movable chess piece type TE coming into the NFL that could do a lot of things but nothing really well. He then tore his ACL with the Bills.

Combine percentiles (since '11)

Height - 16th percentile
Weight (244) - 13th percentile
18 reps - 31st percentile
Arm (33 5/8) - 71st percentile
9-inch hands - 4th percentile
4.50 (40) - 96th percentile
1.53 (10) - 89th percentile
37 1/2 in. vertical - 90th percentile
10 feet, 5 inch broad jump - 94th percentile
4.51 shuttle - 21st percentile
7.08 3-cone - 65th percentile

Hey Chris, since you seem to have all the percentiles, where do those 8 3/4" hands on Allen come in? First?

[ChrisPozz]

49ers kick the tires on former Bills tight end Chris Gragg

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2019/03/22/49ers-kick-the-tires-on-former-bills-tight-end-chris-gragg/

I don't hate them checking on his progress so long as it doesn't really alter how they feel about the 49ers TE position too much if they were to sign him.

Started out at Arkansas as a WR. Dislocated his ankle that forced him to redshirt in 2009. Knee injury hampered him as a senior and he only played in 5 games that year. Was an interesting movable chess piece type TE coming into the NFL that could do a lot of things but nothing really well. He then tore his ACL with the Bills.

Combine percentiles (since '11)

Height - 16th percentile
Weight (244) - 13th percentile
18 reps - 31st percentile
Arm (33 5/8) - 71st percentile
9-inch hands - 4th percentile
4.50 (40) - 96th percentile
1.53 (10) - 89th percentile
37 1/2 in. vertical - 90th percentile
10 feet, 5 inch broad jump - 94th percentile
4.51 shuttle - 21st percentile
7.08 3-cone - 65th percentile

Hey Chris, since you seem to have all the percentiles, where do those 8 3/4" hands on Allen come in? First?

Correct. 1st percentile among edges since 2011.

Other players that recorded similar athletic scores with small hands:

Kemoko Turay (9 5/8 - 31st percentile)
Ryan Kerrigan (9 1/2 - 23rd percentile)
Whitney Mercilus (9 1/4 - 8th percentile)
Dawuane Smoot (9 1/4 - 8th percentile)
Marcus Davenport (9 1/8 - 6th percentile)
Andre Branch (9 - 3rd percentile)
Tavaris Barnes (8 1/2 - < 1st percentile)

[ChrisPozz]

Five players who could be on the move in the wake of free agency

https://www.profootballfocus.com/news/pro-five-players-who-could-be-on-the-move-in-wake-of-free-agency

DARRON LEE, NEW YORK JETS
TRAE WAYNES, MINNESOTA VIKINGS
DUKE JOHNSON JR., CLEVELAND BROWNS
EMMANUEL OGBAH, CLEVELAND BROWNS
SOLOMON THOMAS, SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

[CrimsonCrew]

Ogbah for Thomas straight-up?

I don't think Lynch is ready to give up on Thomas yet. It's possible, but it would be a surprise.